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Forum Discussion
Truly stop Dropbox client from starting automatically on Windows 10.
This is happening to me on Windows 10 Pro 64-bit. When I first installed Dropbox 3.14.7 I thought it it was well-behaved, because it offered an option to disabled "Start Dropbox on system startup". But that doesn't work.
I have certain drives that aren't mounted when the system starts. I have moved the Dropbox configuration files (via an NTFS symbolic link) to that drive, but I make sure that I mount the drive before starting the Dropbox desktop application. I have disabled "Start Dropbox on system startup".
Yet still when I boot Windows 10, Dropbox throws up a dialog informing me that it has failed to start. *I had told it not to start automatically! Of course it will have a problem---I haven't mounted its settings drive yet. *But I told it not to start!*
If Dropbox has a "Start Dropbox on system startup" option, it should honor that options. Don't control my system while pretending to give me options to disable the software. Please tell me how to *really* stop Dropbox from starting automatically, even the secret whatever-it-does-to muck-around-with-my-system, or I am removing the software from my computer. Thanks.
To truly prevent Dropbox from changing the autoplay settings (in Windows 10):
- Close Dropbox;
- Open Regedit and go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\AutoplayHandlers;
- Search for EVERY key with written "Dropbox autoplay" and replace this with either "MSOpenFolder" or "MSPromptEachTime" depending on your preferences;
- Restart the PC.
Right now it is working for me, but as always YMMV!
The whole point of this post is that I have already disabled the "Start Dropbox on system startup", yet Dropbox still tries to do things when the system starts.
Did you only read the title of my post and ignore everything else I wrote?
I'm not sure about W10 but there are 2 places where Dropbox is called in W7:
1- MSCONFIG (use TaskManager's Startup TAB in W10) - just disable the Dropbox line.
2- Task Scheduler : Disable the 2 DropboxUpdate tasks.
This should do it.
Regards,
I have win 7 and my system will not let me access MSCONFIG to turn off dropbox. I have used dropbox in the past but haven't in a long time. I would like to turn it off until I truly want to use it, not have it running in the background...
Forget it. I uninstalled it. If I want to use it again I will reinstall.
To truly prevent Dropbox from changing the autoplay settings (in Windows 10):
- Close Dropbox;
- Open Regedit and go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\AutoplayHandlers;
- Search for EVERY key with written "Dropbox autoplay" and replace this with either "MSOpenFolder" or "MSPromptEachTime" depending on your preferences;
- Restart the PC.
Right now it is working for me, but as always YMMV!
J27H wrote:To truly prevent Dropbox from changing the autoplay settings (in Windows 10):
- Close Dropbox;
- Open Regedit and go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\AutoplayHandlers;
- Search for EVERY key with written "Dropbox autoplay" and replace this with either "MSOpenFolder" or "MSPromptEachTime" depending on your preferences;
- Restart the PC.
What disturbs me is that this is necessary. The program has an option to not run on startup. And, you know, if I don't want it to run on startup, I don't want ANY of it to run on Startup. Dropbox is killing my bandwidth with unnecessary synchronization, unnecessary network traffic, and whatever else it's doing. It may not be intended as malware, but right now, Dropbox is malware. It's a parasite on my system, that does not provide a sufficient return for me to allow it to continue.I'll find a different solution to the problem. Goodbye, Dropbox.
- Cannot after updating new release dropbox, it don't care previous settings from previous dropbox version, it's still startup automatic. Please use winpatrol and autoruns to delete, i'm sure no problem with dropbox. Today every apps need run with system startup but almost all of them do nothing because modern programing style like that! You will be paid a lot of money to change HDD, Dropbox is one of apps make damaged HDD.
Same problem. Windows 10. Dropbox never requested or installed, not welcome, do not want it to intercept pdf downloads. But cannot stop it. Changed all startup and asssociate settinga to Adobe but DropBox will not go away. It is malware that cannot be removed and DropBox support keeps posting "fixes" that are fake news..
For all the users of the newer Dropbox app having this issue, here is the "normal" way to do it (without editing registry, etc.):
1. Go to Preferences
2. Go to Import tab
3. Under "Camera upload" section click on Change Autoplay Settings
or
4. Go to Control Panel -> AutoPlay
5. Check if any of the autoplay entries uses "Import photos and videos (Dropbox)" and change it.
Chances are some of drives or devices have Dropbox assigned as AutoPlay response, and whenever those drives or devices are mounted, the Dropbox starts.
Hope it helps.
<gear> "Preferences" General tab "uncheck start-on-startup"
I assumed you had already removed any calls from your win 10 "startup" folder.
- Zed
Dropbox Staff
Hey Garret W.
If you go to the Dropbox app preferences by clicking on the :gear: icon and uncheck "Start Dropbox on system startup" that should prevent the Dropbox services loading upon your system boot.
jpolich we'd like to help on this, can you share more information with us on what exactly happens? Have you raised a ticket number with our support team?
Thanks!
Ignore my earlier reply. I thought you were replying to another thread:
https://www.dropboxforum.com/t5/Dropbox/Shell-Overlay-Icons/idi-p/111622/page/5#comments
The startup issue is moot --- I've completely removed Dropbox from my system because of it's stupid icon overlay hijacking approach.
The fact that it is this complicated to keep it from loading with system startup is why I have removed it as of today. I disabled it in Windows Startup and unchecked to start with system boot in preferences yet when I run Task Manager after restarting, there it is. You're not the only app to pull this stunt and I will never use a service that pulls these shady tactics. Shame on you as a company. Although, when has customer satisfaction and user experience ever mattered over selling said users data and profits?
Unchecking the box does NOT prevent Dropbox from starting on start up.
Yes, tried exactly this, but regretfully, Dropbox still opens on startup.
Extremely frustrated.
